


Love is Shocking

by aguyofmanythings



Category: The Loud House (Cartoon)
Genre: M/M, pride month
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:00:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24709495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aguyofmanythings/pseuds/aguyofmanythings
Summary: LoudHarveyLefty's two OCs, Marcus and Mike find out that they are bisexual. Now both boys must find a way to reveal their feelings for one another without giving in to the fear that they might lose friends or be rejected by their family members if they reveal themselves as bi. Written for Pride Month 2020.
Relationships: OC/OC
Kudos: 1
Collections: LoudHarveyLefty's Stories





	1. A Discovery

The scene shows a view of a closed door leading to a room somewhere inside the school building of Royal Woods Elementary School on the first floor. On said door is a circular sign with a girl figure on it with text on the bottom that states: "Girls Locker Room."

Everything remained silent for a few more seconds until girlish screams can be heard from inside the room. Suddenly, the door swung open and out ran Lucas, Marcus, Mike, and Gus followed by objects such as pencils, purses, and makeup thrown at them. Turns out, the four boys are once again up to their perverted antics. The boys snuck into the girls locker room to secretly watch their female classmates change from their gym uniforms back into their regular attire, but as always they were caught in the act. The boys ran as fast as they could away from the girls locker room while dodging some makeup utensils. They turned a corner and hid behind a wall, breathing heavily as they looked rather excited about the whole ordeal that just occurred inside the girls locker room.

Back at the locker room, Lola, who is understandably angry, peeks her head out and yells at the boys, "AND STAY OUT!" before slamming the door. Almost immediately after, she pops her head out again and hollers, "AND I'M TELLING THE PRINCIPAL!" before slamming the door again.

Lucas looks at his friends and exclaims, "Man, that was amazing!"

"Yeah!" Marcus agreed. "Once again, we got to see the ladies change into their clothes."

"Too bad we were caught once again," Mike added.

"Who cares?!" said Gus. "They won't do anything! Well, except slap us and throw their things at us and then rat us out to the principal, but no matter how much hours or days of detention we get, we come straight back into the ladies room!"

"Yeah. The principal cannot stop us," claimed Lucas.

"Yeah!" agreed Mike. "And honestly, it's more fun when I do this with you guys."

Suddenly, Mike stopped. He grabs his right arm with his left hand and begins blushing for some reason. He then says the following:

"Especially when Marcus is around."

Mike then realizes what he just said. "Wait. What am I saying?! I like it when all of you guys are with me!"

Lucas, Marcus, and Gus all stared at Mike blankly as they blinked.

"Oooooookay…" uttered Lucas, confused.

Why did Mike say he enjoys watching the girls change especially with me? Marcus wondered in his mind. Weird.

Suddenly, Marcus felt a strange sensation. His heart began beating louder, and he is staring directly at Mike. In his eyes, he sees Mike slowly waving his hair up and down as his entire body glistens. Marcus' eyes grew wide as he watches Mike wave his hair.

My gosh is Mike so hot when he waves his hair, Marcus thought to himself.

The rest of the gang had noticed Marcus' strange behavior.

"Uhhh… you okay, bro?" Lucas asked his brother.

Snapping out of his trance, Marcus shakes his head and replies, "Yeah, yeah! I'm okay! I'm good!"

"Oooooookay…" uttered Lucas.

"C'mon. Let's get outta here before the PE teacher arrives," Gus ordered.

The four boys then began walking away as they began innocently whistling and tucked their hands inside their pockets. As they walked away, Marcus and Mike could not help but wonder about the strange thing that just happened between them.

Is it just me, or do I actually have a CRUSH ON MIKE?! Marcus thought to himself. No. Nonononononono. That can't be right! I'm attracted to girls. There's no way I can be attracted to a guy.

There's no way I have feelings for Marcus, Mike thought to himself. I'm into girls and only girls throughout my entire life! It's impossible for me to have a crush on a guy!

So if I'm into girls and guys, then… does that mean… I'M BI?! both boys thought to themselves.


	2. Questioning

At the Watterson residence, Marcus bursts the door open and runs inside the home and upstairs screaming like a maniac. Then, Lucas walks inside the home and watches his twin brother with confusion, wondering why he is suddenly acting so weird.

Upstairs, Marcus runs into the bathroom and slams the door. He turns on the sink, wets his hands, and splashes himself with cold water, thinking he has gone crazy by falling in love with Mike. He then looks at his own reflection on the mirror. In his eyes, he first sees the reflection of his own wet face with water droplets flowing down his cheeks and dropping from his chin. Suddenly, his own reflection changes into the reflection of Mike. Marcus gasped in shock as soon as he saw Mike's reflection.

Outside, Lucas, who followed his brother upstairs, knocks on the bathroom door and asks, "Um… bro? Are you ok-"

Suddenly, the door swung open, hitting Lucas very hard and crushing him between the door and the wall, and out ran Marcus screaming like crazy again. Moments later, the door slowly moves, exposing a squished Lucas with a black eye and a fallen tooth groaning in pain.

Marcus runs into his and his brother's room and plops onto his bed, covering his face with his pillow. Moments later, Lucas enters the room and sees his brother laying on his bed on his stomach, looking concerned.

"Umm… are you okay, bro?" he asked.

Marcus looks at his brother. "Um, sure. Never been better," he lied.

"Yeah. Screaming like a maniac is normal," Lucas uttered sarcastically.

"Shut up," said Marcus.

"Anyway, don't ya want to chat with the guys?"

"Uh, no. I'm good."

"Whatever. Your loss, dude." Lucas then leaves the bedroom.

As Marcus laid on his bed, he could not help but wonder why he fell in love with Mike.

_Why did I fall in love with Mike? I thought I was only attracted to girls. I thought I was straight the entire time. He sighs. What will the others think of me when I reveal to them that I'm bi? Would Gus still think of me as a friend? Would Lucas still think of me as a brother? Would mom and dad still think of me as their son? Or will all of them reject and disown me because I'm bisexual? And most importantly, how would Mike react when I reveal that I have feelings for him?_

Marcus rises from his bed and sighs again. "Why did things have to come to this?"

* * *

Meanwhile at the Smith residence, Mike and his little sister Mickey enter their house as the former shivered in fear. Mickey watches her big brother walk up the stairs in confusion, not knowing what happened with him.

"Uh… bro? Are you okay?" Mickey asked.

Mike stops shaking. "Me? Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're shivering as if it's cold," Mickey told him. "Need I remind you that it's May? Not December?"

"Oh. Well, never knew it's May." Mike giggled uncomfortably. "Anyway, I'll be in my room," he pauses for a second, "doing something! I'll talk to you later!" He then runs off.

Mickey rolled her eyes and walked away.

At his bedroom, Mike paces back and forth with his hands behind his back as he questions his sexuality and mental state.

_ I must be going crazy. There's no way I'm in love with a guy! I'm straight. I've always been straight! I'm into girls, and only girls! I can't be bi. There's no way I can be attracted to girls and guys! I can't let anybody else know that I'm bi! They will definitely not take it well! I'll lose Lucas and Gus as friends! My family will disown me! And no doubt Marcus will flat-out reject me! He's isn't bi! _

Suddenly, Mike stops pacing as he thought of something, _Wait! I know! I'll go see the school nurse tomorrow! Maybe she'll give me some medicine that will bring back my sanity! Yeah! That's what I'll do tomorrow!_

Suddenly, Mickey opens the door, interrupting Mike's thoughts.

"Bro, your friends are calling you via video chat," she told her older brother.

"Alright," said Mike, startled. "I'll chat with them."


	3. Seeing the Nurse

The next day at school, Mike is at the nurse's office getting a checkup to make sure he is not going crazy.

"So nurse," Mike asks, "am I going crazy?"

"Well," the beautiful, hourglass-figured nurse began as she looks through her papers of examination, "according to the examination, you have not experienced any mood swings, you haven't eaten anything bad, your brain functions are normal, and your body seems to be doing fine. In other words, you are one hundred percent healthy, both physically and mentally. You're not crazy."

Mike is unimpressed. "No. There must be something wrong. Maybe you've missed something or didn't look hard enough."

"Kiddo, I'm pretty sure I've examined your brain scan perfectly and carefully," the nurse reassured. "Now, why did you think you were crazy?"

Mike suddenly paused in shock after hearing that question. He never expected himself to reveal his sexuality to the school nurse. He did not want to because he feared that the nurse might kick him out of her office and never want to see him again, but she is also one of the nicest people he met in school, so she might not care as long as he is healthy. Mike tried to think of a lie but none came. He then sighed, knowing he had no choice.

"The reason why I'm here is because I'm bi."

The nurse suddenly paused, dropping her clipboard. She then turned her head towards Mike with a surprised look on her face.

 _Oh no. It's coming_ , Mike said in his mind, growing worried.

"You thought you were crazy because you're bi?" the nurse questioned.

Mike nodded nervously, bracing himself for what he thinks will happen next.

The nurse slowly approached Mike and leaned down to his eye level. Mike gulped as he stared at her face, preparing to be thrown out of her office, but the nurse has no intention of kicking Mike out. She wasn't even thinking about kicking him out. Instead, she places her hand on Mike's right shoulder and stared straight into his face with a frown.

"Mikey," the nurse explains, "there's nothing wrong with being bi. It's not some phase that will go away in a few days. It's a legitimate sexual attraction many people identify as."

Mike is a bit confused. "So… you're saying that I'm not crazy for being bi?"

The nurse giggled. "No. Bisexuality is not a mental disorder. It's a genuine sexuality. Some people are just attracted to both males and females. It's normal."

Mike sighed in relief. "Thank goodness I'm not crazy."

"I do have one question, though."

Mike paused again. "Yeah?"

"Admittedly, I never expected you to come out as bi since you're one of the boys who sneaks into the girls locker room and fawns over my looks every time you see me for a checkup," the nurse giggled again.

Mike begins blushing after hearing about him fawning over the nurse's good looks. "Y-y-yeah. I-I-I'm definitely one of those b-b-boys."

"What made you come out as bi?" the nurse asked.

"About that," Mike stopped blushing. "Yesterday, my friends and I sneaked into the girls locker room, again. Per usual, we were caught and kicked out. After that, we said how it was very fun to peek into the ladies room together as friends, and… well… that's when I… umm… said it."

"Said what?"

"I said that it was especially fun when Marcus is around, and I said it in some lovey-dovey way."

"Oh. I see. You've developed feelings for Marcus."

"Exactly, and that's when I thought I was going crazy. I always thought I was straight, but my recent feelings toward Marcus says otherwise. And now, I live in fear. I'm worried that my friends and family will disown me if I reveal to them that I'm bi. They'll probably think of me as some weirdo if I do. However, that fear is nothing compared to my other fear. The fear that Marcus might reject me if I reveal my feelings to him."

"Oh, Mikey," the nurse pitied him. "I'm sure your family and friends will understand. Just give them time. Also, if Marcus were to reject you, you can look for someone else to date. Boy or girl."

"But just in case, you do promise me not to reveal my sexuality to anyone, not even my friends and family?"

"Oh, alright. I'll keep your secret a secret," the nurse winks at him.

Mike once again found himself blushing. He then giggled. "Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem," the nurse winked again, causing Mike to blush harder.

After a few moments, Mike snaps out of his blushing states. "Alright. Goodbye, nurse."

"Goodbye, Mike."

Mike leaves the nurse's office. As he softly closes the door and begins walking, he crashes into someone, causing both to fall down.

Mike slowly gets up as he rubs his head in pain. "Hey! What were you're going, you-" he then abruptly stops talking as he realized who he had just bumped into. It was Marcus.

Both boys stared at each other in surprise for a few seconds.

Then, Mike spoke, "Oh! Uh… sup, Marcus!"

"What up… um… Mike!"

Mike immediately stood up, looking nervous. "What brings you here, lo- I mean! Dude?"

"Oh, me? Well… I just want to… umm… get a checkup before leaving home. Y'know, to make sure I'm healthy," Marcus laughs uncomfortably.

"Really? I just did the same! Hope the nurse determines that you're healthy!"

Marcus laughs awkwardly again. "Thanks, dude! I'll see ya tomorrow, boy- I mean! Dude!"

"I'll see ya tomorrow, too!"

Marcus and Mike stared at each other uneasily for a few more seconds. Finally, Mike runs off, and Marcus runs into the nurse's office.


	4. Seeking Help (Part One)

Marcus is running along the street towards the Loud home. He is planning to seek help from Lola thinking she would help him get rid of his fear of being rejected and disowned by Mike, his family, and his friends; therefore, he will feel more comfortable revealing his feelings to Mike and revealing his true sexuality to his friends and family. After a few more blocks, Marcus finally reaches the home. He ran up the porch and began knocking on the front door. After a second of waiting, the door unlocks and opens, revealing to be Lincoln.

"Oh. Hey, Marcus," he greeted. "In case you're looking for Lana, she's not here. She's at the dentist getting a checkup."

"No. I'm not here for Lana. I'm here for her twin, Lola."

"Lola?" Lincoln became confused. "Why do you need her for?"

"It's something important."

"Oh. Okay. Come in, then."

Marcus runs past Lincoln and upstairs. He then runs toward the bedroom door leading to the twins' room and knocks on it. A second later, the door opens, revealing to be Lola.

"Lana? You're back alre-" Lola stops abruptly after noticing that it is Marcus, not her tomboyish twin sister. She glared disdainfully at him. "Oh. It's you. What do you want, creep?"

"I need your help," Marcus pleaded.

"Oh. You want me to help you? Sorry. I don't offer help to sick creeps like you." Lola attempts to slam the door on Marcus' face, but right before she closes it Marcus sticks his foot in, stopping Lola from closing the door. The princess opens the door again and tells him, "Could you move your foot out of the way, please?"

"I'm not leaving until you help me, and I'm serious," Marcus persisted as he crossed his arms.

"Or else what? Are you gonna do something bad to me?"

"Nope. I'm gonna stand right here and never leave until you help me."

"Fine. Then stand there like an idiot!" The princess then slams her door. Marcus just stood there waiting for Lola to reopen the door and accept his help. Seconds ticked away. Marcus did not move. Not even a muscle. He is serious about refusing to leave the house until Lola helps him. He stood there waiting for her to finally give up and agree to help him. After what seemed to be a minute, Lola reopens the door and sighed.

"Fine. You win. If you want help, I'll give you help."

Marcus smiled.

"Under one condition…"

Marcus' smile went away.

"Do you promise to not sneak into the girls' locker room and not try to sexually harass us?"

Marcus sighed. "Yes. I promise."

"Good. Now come in!"

Marcus follows Lola into her and Lana's room.

"Have a seat." Lola offers Marcus an empty seat as she sits on a chair across her tea table. He does so.

"So, Little Mister Creep, why are you pestering me to help you?" she asked.

Marcus sighed again. "I know this might sound unbelievable to you, but please bare with me here."

"I'm following."

Marcus takes a deep breath and then finally says the two words, "I'm bi."

Lola paused and stared at Marcus in somewhat surprise. Marcus grew nervous, thinking she was going to freak out and kick him out. The dreadful silence lasts for a few moments before Lola finally breaks the silence.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't quite hear that right. Come again."

"I'm bi," Marcus repeated.

Lola paused in flabbergast again. This time, the silence did not last as the pageant queen suddenly broke into hysterical laughter. She falls off her chair and rolls across the floor, still laughing hysterically.

"You? Bi?! That's gotta be one of the craziest things I've ever heard from you! How can you, a creep who sneaks into the girls locker room and watch us change and who likes to catcall some good-looking girls, be bisexual?! A bisexual likes both boys and girls! And you, Marcus Watterson, are not attracted to ANY boy! Do you want to sexually harass boys NOW?! My goodness you people make me crack up!"

Lola then resumes laughing like a maniac. Suddenly, she abruptly stops laughing as she notices Marcus giving her an unimpressed glare. He was not joking around. He is being serious.

"Wait. You're serious?!"

"Yes I'm serious! You thought I would come here just to crack jokes?!" Marcus scoffed.

Lola sits back down on her chair. "Well, I suppose you have a point there."

Marcus then resumes, "Yes. It is true. I am bisexual. I like both guys and girls. Well, more like one guy and many girls. You see, after you and the girls kicked me and the guys out of the locker room yesterday, I suddenly fell in love with Mike. I even thought that he was hot. I thought that I was going crazy because I've thought of myself as straight, so earlier today I went to the school nurse to make sure I'm not going insane. Turns out, I'm not, and I'm officially bi. The nurse told me that it's normal for a person to be attracted to both genders like how a man is into a woman, a woman is into a man, a man is into another man, a woman is into another woman, and so on. Never thought I would be one of those LGBTQ+ people, but apparently I am. So I'm officially a bisexual, and I'm officially in love with Mike, but I'm still scared to go out and tell everybody that I'm bi. I was scared that my friends would no longer be friends with me and my family would disown me if I came out to them as bi, but what scared me the most is Mike rejecting me because what if he is still straight? What if he isn't into guys? So after the checkup, I came here to ask you help on how to get rid of those fears so I can feel more comfortable about revealing my true sexuality to my family and friends and eventually ask Mike out on a date, if he accepts me as a boyfriend that is. Of course, I was nervous about revealing my bisexuality to you since we both don't like each other and worried that you would make fun of me, but if I want to overcome my fears then I had no choice."

"Wow. That sounded like you had a very long day," commented Lola.

"Tell me about it," said Marcus. "So, would you help me?"

"Sorry, but I can't," Lola replied. "I know nothing about this bisexuality stuff. Never went through the stuff you went through because apparently I'm straight. I'm attracted to boys, and only boys, especially my handsome Prince Charming Winston!"

"Awwww…" Marcus groaned in disappointment.

"But I do have friends who aren't straight and know more about the LGBTQ+ stuff," said Lola.

"Wait. You have LGBTQ+ friends?" Marcus is shocked.

"Heck yes I do. My best friend Roxanne is pansexual, Alfred, Jane, and Claudette are polysexual, Chinah is androsexual, Helen is demisexual, and the list goes on. Heck, my friend Oprah is a lesbian. She's into other girls, and only girls. She has no interest in getting a prince."

"Do you know any who's bi?!" Marcus persisted.

"Yes. Two."

"Who are they?!"

"One is my older sister Luna. She once crushed on Hugh along with my sisters and me due to how handsome he looks, but she's now dating a girl named Sam. If you want to ask her for advice, then sorry. She's not available," explained the pageant queen.

"Then who's the other?"

"My other best friend Isabelle."

"Isabelle? You mean the cute girl in a wheelchair?!" Marcus is once again surprised.

"Yes," Lola confirmed. "She once had a crush on me, but she knew that I was dating a boy and would gently decline, so she began crushing on a boy named Beau Yates."

"Do you know where she is?!"

"Of course I do! I'm her friend! Duh!"

"Where is she?!"

"She lives two blocks down the street."

"Great!" Marcus suddenly stood up. "Thanks for the help, Lola! I'll see you tomorrow at school!" He then runs off, happy that he is going to receive help from another bi person.

Lola watches him leave her and Lana's room and then sighed.

"Finally! I don't have to deal with that creep anymore!" She then turns to one of her plushies. "Now where were we, Mr. Sprinkles?"


	5. Biphobia at Home

Mike arrives at his home after a long walk from school. He enters the living room and throws his backpack towards the couch. As he was about to walk upstairs, he suddenly heard a conversation between two people from the kitchen. He walks over to the dining room and takes a peek at the kitchen from behind a wall, seeing that it was his parents who are having a conversation. Usually, they would still be at work at this time, but on some occasions they were released from work early, so this must be one of those occasions. Mike, being the eavesdropper he is, listens to his parents' conversation out of curiosity about what they are discussing.

"How was work, hon?" Mike's father asked his wife.

"Hmm… let's just say… it was pretty intense."

"Intense? What do you mean by that?"

"Well…" Mike's mother began explaining, "we had a discussion regarding plans for the LGBTQ+ celebrations and parades for next month. Y'know, since next month is LGBTQ+ Pride Month."

"Okay. What about it? What was it with the discussion that made it intense?" Mr. Smith asked curiously.

"Well, it was when Mayor Davis mentioned her idea about having a 'bisexual parade' that the meeting turned intense."

Mike hears his father make a sigh that almost sounded like a scoff after he heard the word "bisexual" from Mrs. Smith. It sounded like he disliked the word, probably even hated it.

Mrs. Smith goes on, "One of the people, the Mayor's secretary, disagreed with the idea, thinking that bisexuality isn't an actual sexual orientation. Another person, an LGBTQ+ activist and a relative of the Mayor, argued against the secretary, believing the bisexuality is indeed a real orientation and that the needs of the bisexual community should not be ignored along with the needs of other individuals whose sexualities aren't heterosexual. I, as the Mayor's assistant, sided with the activist as well as agreed with the Mayor's idea of a bisexual parade. Then, the debate transformed into a full-on argument whether we should allow bisexuals to have their own parade or not. Fortunately, the Mayor managed to calm things down before the situation got worse. She then decided to disagree with her secretary and decided to have the bisexual parade at June 12, whether the secretary likes it or not."

Mr. Smith remains silent for a bit, processing his opinion on the meeting in his mind. Mrs. Smith stood there waiting for her husband to speak his opinion on the matter.

Then, he finally spoke, "You know what, honey? For the first time in my life, I disagree with the Mayor."

"Why?" Mrs. Smith asked curiously.

"Because I don't agree with those bisexual freaks!" Mr. Smith suddenly raised his voice. "The secretary is right. Bisexuality isn't real. The people who claim that they're bisexual are either just confused, in a phase, or just want attention. Bisexuals are attracted to both men and women, meaning there's a high chance they'll cheat on their partners for the other gender, and since they hop between the two genders, they also carry sexually transmitted diseases, more of which than straights and gays combined. Those bisexual freaks are dangerous, cheaters, and confused, and they don't deserve pride, respect, or equal treatment. Let alone have their own parade!"

"Honey! Don't say that!" Mrs. Smith pleaded. "Not all bisexuals are like that!"

"Wrong!" exclaimed Mr. Smith. "Bisexuals are ALL like that! And I can confirm that as a marriage counselor! In almost every appointment that involved cheating, the person cheated on all claimed that their cheating partners identified themselves as bisexual. Not once in my life have I heard that their bisexual partners are honest and faithful. Why? Because they don't exist!" Mr. Smith raised his voice again. "In fact, all bisexuals don't exist! They just claim to be bi to gain attention and to justify cheating! You can't be attracted to two genders. That's not possible! A person is either straight or gay. Period! End. Of. Story!"

"Honey! Please keep your voice down! What if the kids hear you?!" Mrs. Smith begged.

"Good! Because they need to hear this! As a father, I need to protect my children, especially from those bisexual freaks who are going around spreading STDs to other people! I can never forgive myself if one of my children receives those types of diseases."

"But honey-"

"I don't want to talk about those freaks anymore! Now if you excuse me, I have a meeting to attend with my boss."

And with that, Mr. Smith leaves the kitchen and eventually his home, leaving his wife to collapse on her knees and begin crying. As for Mike, he stood behind the wall in complete and utter shock. He could not believe every single word that was uttered out of his father's mouth. It is clear that his father hates bisexuals and thinks that they don't exist and claims that people who identify as bisexual are confused, in a phase, cheaters, and have STDs. And that is just great because Mike had finally started accepting himself as bisexual and wanted to tell his family, but after hearing the rant his father gave to his mother, he suddenly felt uncomfortable again. No doubt his father would hate him and disown him if he revealed to him that he is bi.

Scared, Mike suddenly leaves the dining room and walks upstairs to his room. He walks over to his computer desk and turns his computer on. He then clicks on "Google Chrome" on his desktop and the Google search engine appears on the screen. Next, he types in "bisexual hatred" and clicks the search bar, and what he found are articles that discuss "biphobia" and how bisexuals are excluded from not only the straight community but also the LGBTQ+ community. He read the articles and found out that bisexuals are often denounced as "fake" and are "just going through a phase" and will someday "pick a side". Some articles even discussed how bisexuals are often accused by some members of the LGBTQ+ community of having "straight privilege", especially those who are in opposite-sex relationships, referring to them as "bihets". The articles then debunk such accusations by presenting evidence that bisexuals are just as discriminated against as other members of the LGBTQ+ community. Mike then goes to Google Images and finds lots of images related to biphobia. He found some images that display "bisexual erasure", which is erasing the identity of bisexual from an individual who identifies as bi. One image in particular caught his attention. It was an AIDS advertisement that warned the audience not to have sexual intercourse with a list of three groups of people, and one of those people listed are (you guessed it) bisexuals. The ad is implying that all bisexuals carry AIDS, which explains where his father got the idea of "All bisexuals have STDs" from.

The more Mike searched about "biphobia" and "bisexual erasure", the more he felt uncomfortable about coming out as bi to not only his family but also his friends, especially Marcus. The negative stereotypes of bisexuals are there, and they are prevalent. Mike even began believing that his friends, and possibly Marcus, might hold these negative beliefs about bisexuals just like his father. He even imagined his friends wearing hazmat suits around him in fear that they might contract AIDS from him simply due to his sexual orientation. Mike slowly closed his computer and laid his head down on his arms.

After what seemed like an hour of absolute silence, it is suddenly broken by a familiar voice:

"Bro? Are you okay?"

Mike raises his head from his arms and looks behind to see his younger sister Mickey who looked pretty concerned about her older brother.

"Oh. Hey, Mic," Mike greeted in a depressed tone.

"Is there something wrong?" Mickey asked.

"It's nothing, really."

"Bro, there is no way you would be depressed for nothing. There has to be a reason why you're all so mopey. You're usually that one amped person."

"I said it's nothing," Mike almost raised his voice. "Now please leave me alone."

"C'mon, bro," Mickey persisted. "You can tell me. I mean, I know I've made fun of you every time you tell me what's wrong, but I promise I won't."

Mike remained silent. He really did not feel comfortable revealing his sexuality to his sister in fear of being mocked or accused of having STDs, but he knows that his sister can get very persistent and would do anything to make him spit out some words, no matter how much he tried to make her leave him alone. The only way he can do that is to give in and tell his sister, so he had no choice.

"Fine. I'll tell you," Mike finally decided, "but don't you ever tell anyone, not even mom and dad. Promise?"

"Promise," Mickey repeated.

"Good." Mike then takes a very deep breath before finally saying the words, "I'm bi."

Mickey stood there staring at her brother in confusion. "Umm… what?"

"I said I'm bi," Mike raised his voice a bit.

"Wait, you're bi?"

"Yes."

"How? I thought you were only into girls."

"I thought so, too," Mike explains, "but after being kicked out of the girls locker room, again, I realized I have feelings for Marcus. I don't know why. It just is."

Mickey just stared at him as she blinked twice.

"There. I said it. Now are you gonna make fun of me? Or accuse me of being a cheater? Or stay away from me because you think I have AIDS?"

"Uh… no?"

"I knew it- Wait, what did you say?"

"I said no," Mickey repeated. "Why would I make fun of you for being bi?"

"Because you alway- Wait. Don't tell me! You're bi, TOO?!" Mike exclaimed in unison.

"Um, no. I'm ace," Mickey confirmed.

"Ace? Like Ace Savvy?" Mike guessed.

"No, you dope! I'm ace. Short for asexual."

"Asexual? Aren't those the people who don't have any sexual attraction to anybody?"

"Correct," confirmed Mickey. "I don't have any sexual attraction towards anybody of any gender; however, I am romantically attracted to people of the opposite sex, aka boys. To put it simply, I'm a heteroromantic asexual."

"Heteroromantic asexual?"

"Yep."

"How is that possible?" Mike questioned. "How are you asexual and heteroromantic at the same time? I thought asexuals aren't attracted to anybody in any way."

Mickey sighed. "Of course. The usual misconception about us aces. Yes, asexuals can't feel sexual attraction, hence why we are considered asexual, but that doesn't mean I can't feel romantic attraction. I may not be sexually attracted to guys, but I am romantically attracted to them, hence why I'm heteroromantic asexual."

"Wow. Cool!" Mike is impressed. "Why didn't you tell me this before?!"

"Um, what do you think?" Mickey asked sarcastically.

"Oh. Right," Mike realized.

"Just like you are now, I was afraid to to come out as asexual to you, mom, or dad, especially after hearing dad say lots of horrible stuff about asexuals."

"Really? What did he say?"

"He said that asexuals are heartless, emotionless, and hateful. He claimed that we can't feel love, which obviously isn't true, especially for me," Mickey explained. "After hearing what dad said, I forced myself to stay in the closet in fear that he'll no longer consider me his daughter if I revealed to him that I'm ace."

"Oh. I guess dad hates aces, too," Mike commented.

"Yeah," Mickey agreed. "I remained in the closet for… well… I lost count, but after you told me that you were bi, that made me feel enough comfort to come out to you as ace, knowing you are in the same situation I was before."

"In that case, I am proud to come out as bi to you," Mike said proudly.

"And let me guess, you heard dad say some mean things about bis, didn't you?"

"Yep. And I've searched the internet and found that many people, both straight and gay, believe in the negative stereotypes of bisexuals. Stereotypes such as bis are cheaters, bis are in a phase, bis are confused, and bis carry AIDS," Mike explained.

"That explains why you worried that I was gonna accuse you of having AIDS."

"Exactly, but thanks to you I feel a bit comfortable about coming out as bi to mom at least."

"But before you do so," Mickey stopped her brother, "I gotta tell you one more thing. Don't listen to what dad or other bi haters tell you. They're just ignorant and know nothin' about bisexuality. Just ignore them and embrace your sexuality. Your sexuality doesn't determine your personality. Got it?"

Suddenly, Mickey is hugged by Mike, causing her to blush. This is something Mike rarely does but isn't strange. Even though Mike is a person who ignores morals and causes trouble, he still cared for his family, including his little sister. After hugging his little sister for a bit, Mike releases her.

"Got it, lil' sis."

Mickey smiled proudly at her big brother, knowing she succeeded in encouraging him to come back out of the closet. Mike then leaves his room as Mickey watches.


	6. Seeking Help (Part Two)

At the Dawson residence, Isabelle is in her bedroom drawing something on her scratchpad. The drawing depicted an uncolored flag with a short stripe in the middle waving in the air attached to a stick. The drawing is not complete yet as Isabelle plans to draw herself in the drawing and color the entirety of the drawing afterward.

As Isabelle is about to begin drawing her hair, she is suddenly startled by a knock on her door, causing her to accidentally draw a line across the flag. Seeing her mistake, the disabled girl growls in frustration and then yells at her door, "Ike! I told you to not interrupt me while I'm drawing!"

"Sorry, sis," Ike apologized, speaking from behind the closed door, "but you have a visitor."

Isabelle sighed in defeat. "Ah great. I have a visitor right in the middle of drawing. Who is it?"

"It's a boy from your class. He isn't a friend of yours, but he is an acquaintance, and he claims he really needs your help."

The wheelchair-bound girl sighed again. "Let him in."

The door then opens as Isabelle turns her wheelchair around to face whoever just came into her room, and who she saw surprised her. It is Marcus, aka one of the boys who are infamous for their trouble-making behavior at school and their inappropriate behavior towards girls. At first, Isabelle grew worried, thinking Marcus was planning to flirt with her or harass her, but that feeling changed when she noticed his face of desperation, a feeling Isabelle never thought she would see in a pervert. She knew it had to be something unrelated to girls, but what?

"Lucas?" Isabelle said, still surprised.

"What? No. It's Marcus. Lucas is my twin brother, and he is at home," Marcus corrected.

"Oh. Sorry. Both you and Lucas look exactly the same to me," Isabelle giggled at her mistake. She then immediately becomes serious, "Anyway, what brings you here? And why do you look so desperate?"

Marcus was about to answer, but then he notices the drawing on Isabelle's desk. He points at it and asks, "What's that?"

"That is none of your business," Isabelle replied. "Now please answer my question."

"Oh! Uh, I need your help."

"On what?"

"On coming out as bi to my family and friends, especially Mike."

The paraplegic girl grew shocked after hearing the term "bi" from Marcus. "Did you just say your bi?"

"Yes. I'm bisexual," Marcus confirmed.

Isabelle then became disbelieved. "I don't believe you. A guy who is so obsessed with girls that he touches their butts and sneaks into their locker room to watch them change isn't bisexual. It's called heterosexual, aka straight. You're clearly attracted to the opposite sex. Period."

Marcus sighed. "Yes. It's true. But please believe me when I tell you that I have a crush on Mike!"

The wheelchair-bound girl once again became aghast. "You have a crush on Mike?"

Marcus nods.

Isabelle suddenly becomes disbelieved again. "Don't believe you. A boy who is obsessed with girls does not gain a crush on another boy."

"Oh yeah? Will this make you believe me?" Marcus pulls out a folded paper and hands it to Isabelle. She unfolds the paper and gasps at what she saw. The paper depicts a pie chart representing the percentage of the attractions Marcus has toward a sex. The huge pink chunk of the pie graph represents Marcus' attraction towards females, and the small blue piece represents Marcus' attraction towards males. According to the graph, Marcus is ninety percent into females and ten percent into males. Isabelle stared at the chart in shock. Marcus was telling the truth the whole time.

"Ninety percent into females and ten percent into males?!" she exclaimed in shock. "You are bisexual!"

"Exactly." Marcus stood proudly with his hands on his hips.

"Where did you get this?"

"From Lisa. I knew you wouldn't believe me, so I had to go to Lisa to measure the exact percentage of my attractions towards males and females. Plus, she did state that one doesn't have to be equally into both boys and girls to be bi. Even if one is more into one gender and less into the other, he or she can still identify as bi," Marcus explained.

"Yes. That is true," confirmed Isabelle.

"And now I need your help! I tried to ask Lola for help, but she refused since she knows nothin' about bisexuality, so she suggested I go to you since you're bi like me."

"Yes. That's true. I once had a crush on Lola, but after realizing she already has a boyfriend, I soon gave up on it. Thankfully, I wasn't too heartbroken as I found another crush: Beau. I still have a crush on him to this day."

"Yeah. I know that. Lola told me."

"Thought so." Isabelle then stretched her arms and body as she began feeling sluggish. After doing so, she asks again, "So, what do you need help with again?"

"Coming out as bi to my family and friends," Marcus said again. "I have this fear that my family and friends would disown me if I reveal to them that I'm bi, but not even that fear can outmatch the greatest fear that I currently have."

"And that is?"

"Being rejected by the one I have a crush on: Mike. I don't know if he himself is bi or not, nor do I know that he likes them or not. I'm afraid that he'll reject me or disown me as a friend if I reveal my feelings for me, or maybe he rejects me because he is straight and isn't into guys. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not ashamed of being attracted to guys and girls, but I'm afraid other people will shame me for it and not accept me for it. And I want to come out, too! I don't want to keep the feelings I have for Mike to myself for long, but..." Marcus sighs, "the fears. They're stopping me from coming out."

"Yeah. I know that feeling," Isabelle sympathized with Marcus.

"You do?"

"Yeah. Back when I had a crush on Lola, I was afraid to admit it to my family, thinking they would see me as a weirdo for liking a girl, but my family were also very nice people. They took very good care of me and would defend me if some scum were to insult me for using a wheelchair, so I thought they would still accept me as family if I'm bi. So I came out to them, and… well… they accepted me!"

"Wow!" Marcus is impressed. "They did?! Just like that?!"

"Yep! I told you they were nice people. And because of that, I gained enough confidence to come out as bi to my friends, so I did, and they all accepted me!"

"Cool!"

"I know right?!"

"Too bad I don't have the same confidence as you do," Marcus became dejected again. "Now don't get me wrong. My family is somewhat nice, but I don't think they'll be nice enough to accept a bi person like myself."

"Because you fear they might be biphobic, right?" Isabelle guessed.

"Biphobic?" Marcus grew confused.

"Biphobia. It's fear or hatred against bisexuality and bisexuals as a social group or individuals," Isabelle explains. "Many bis are discriminated against because we are seen as cheaters, liars, greedy, STD carriers, whores, and other stereotypes associated with bisexuality. Some biphobes even believe that bisexuality isn't real and that bisexuals are just confused or going through a phase. They even believe that people are either gay or straight. No bis. No aces. No other sexualities that aren't heterosexuality or homosexuality. Just straight and gay."

"Holy moly. People actually think that way about bis?"

"Sadly, yes. Of course, not all of that is true. You see, sexuality does not determine personality. Being straight, gay, lesbian, bi, trans, ace, etc. does not determine what type of person you are. Bisexuals are not all cheaters. Some of us are faithful to our partners. I mean, I will never think of cheating on Beau for another boy or girl, if we do date that is. I can go on to debunk all the stereotypes about bisexuals, but that'll take forever."

"Yeah. Get to the point already, please," Marcus playfully told Isabelle, giggling.

Isabelle giggled with Marcus. "My point is, ignore all the biphobic stuff biphobes say about bisexuals. Obviously they know nothing about bisexuality and rely on exaggerated stereotypes to fuel their hatred towards bis. Heck, ignore biphobia itself if you're planning to come out to family and friends. Thinking about it will just make you lose confidence in coming out of the closet. Plus, you'll never know if your family and friends will accept you or not if you don't come out as bi. You just have to risk it. As for revealing your feelings towards Mike, go for it. I know it's going to be a huge risk since you're very likely that you are going to get rejected, but you have to take the risk. You'll never know if Mike will accept or reject you if you don't reveal your feelings for him. And if you do get rejected, move on. There are plenty of other people you can ask on a date. It'll take time but eventually, you'll find one. That's my advice to you." Isabelle then winks at him.

"Are you sure it'll work?" Marcus questioned, nervous.

"Trust me, Marcus. I took the risk, so you should, too."

Marcus sighed. "Alright. I trust you. I think I have enough confidence to come out as bi…"

Isabelle smiled, knowing she was a great help to her enemy.

"...but first, I'll make something for Mike in case I decide to spill the milk to him."

"I think that's a great idea. Go for it."

Then, Marcus hugs Isabelle, thanking her for her help.

"Thanks, Isabelle. Thank you for your help."

Isabelle embraces Marcus back. "Anytime, Marcus."


	7. Coming Out

Mrs. Smith is sitting on the couch looking depressed. She never expected her "discussion" with her husband to reveal his true colors. This entire time her husband supported rights for the LGBTQ+ community alongside her, so she would have never guessed that her husband has a grudge against bisexuals, but again he did reveal his disdain towards asexuals four months ago, so it really wasn't that surprising. He views heterosexuality and homosexuality as the only true sexual orientations and denies that bisexuality exists. He views bisexuals as cheaters, STD carriers, greedy, and fakers and believes that people use bisexuality as an excuse to cheat and spread STDs across both the straight community and the gay community. He also believes that people are either straight or gay, thinking that it is impossible for a person to be attracted to two or more genders, so he claims that anyone who identify as bisexual are just confused, going through a phase, or just can't "pick a side." The more Mrs. Smith thought about her husband, the more she felt like crying. Eventually she does. She places her hands on her face and begins sobbing.

After weeping for about a minute, she suddenly heard the voice of her son:

"Mom?"

Mrs. Smith removes her hands from her face, revealing that it is wet from tears, and looks at Mike, who felt genuinely concerned for her. As he is close enough to her, she embraces him, sniffing as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Oh son," she sobbed. "I don't know what to do with your father anymore. He's so… intolerant!"

"I know," said Mike. "I've heard everything."

"You did?" Mrs. Smith is surprised.

"Yeah. I heard dad yelling from my room," Mike lied. He actually hid behind a wall separating the dining room and kitchen, but he did not want his mother to feel more distressed than she already is, so he had to fib. "He said some messed-up stuff about bisexuals."

Mrs. Smith sobbed, "Yes he did." She sniffs. "He claims that he supports the LGBTQ+ community, but it turns out he only supports the LG part of it."

"Yeah. He said that people can only be straight or gay, so he thinks that bis and aces don't exist and people supposedly use bisexuality and asexuality as an excuse to do some terrible stuff which is not true."

Mrs. Smith grabs a tissue from the tissue box on the table and blows her nose. "I don't know what to do with him anymore. He's so prejudiced."

"Just ignore him, mom. He obviously doesn't know anything about any sexual orientation outside of heterosexuality and homosexuality, but someday… he'll have a change of heart. You just need to give him time. Give him time to educate himself more about bisexuality and asexuality."

"I hope," Mrs. Smith sobbed.

"And speaking of bisexuality, I… I… have something to tell you."

Mrs. Smith suddenly stopped sobbing, growing curious as to what her son has to say.

"But do you promise to never reveal this to my father?"

Mrs. Smith sighed. "If it will anger your father, then yes. I promise to keep it a secret."

"Good." Mike takes a deep breath and finally says it, "I'm bisexual."

Mrs. Smith's eyes shrank to the size of a baby ant after hearing that from her son. Her son just admitted to identifying as a sexual orientation her husband truly denies and despises. Thinking about it made her eyes water, and she threw her arms around Mike and hugged him again, crying. Mike hugs her back, knowing why she is crying again.

"Oh son! Why didn't you tell me this before?!"

"Because I just found out that I was bi a few days ago," replied Mike.

They break the hug, but Mrs. Smith still cried.

"A few days ago," Mike explains, "I developed feelings for Marcus. I didn't know why at the time since I always thought I was only into girls, but my feelings toward Marcus say otherwise. My guess is that Marcus and I have been best buds since preschool. I mean, Lucas and Gus are also my best buds, but I viewed Mike as more of a best bud. I mean, we hung out a bit more than with all four of us together. The more I thought about our past, the more it made sense that I developed feelings for Marcus. The reason why I didn't tell you earlier because I was afraid you would no longer see me as your son because I'm, and… well… my father will definitely not view me as his son if I tell him that I'm bi."

"And speaking of your father," Mrs. Smith cried, "what would happen to you both? What would happen to you and your father?"

"Don't worry about it, mom," Mike assured. "This is why I told you to keep it a secret. The secret is between me, you, and Mickey."

"But what if he finds out?! He might do something horrible to you if he finds out!"

Mike sighed. "I'm not sure, but the least we can do is to hide our secret well from father as long as we can."

Mrs. Smith then embraces her son for the final time, and he embraces her back. As they hugged, a certain someone was watching from the staircase. Mickey had decided to come downstairs to see if her mother would take the news of Mike coming out as bi well. Turns out, it did.

 _I'm proud of you, big bro_ , Mickey thought to herself. _You are one brave man._


	8. A Love Card

Marcus is at his and his brother's bedroom planning to make something for his crush Mike. On his desk are two pieces of red paper, a pencil, an eraser, a pack of color pencils, a pair of scissors, glue, tape, and an envelope. Marcus is planning to create a love card for Mike.

"Alright. Let's do this."

With that statement, Marcus began to work on his love card. He first began by drawing hearts of different sizes on one piece of paper. Then, he cut the drawn hearts out. Next, he folds the second piece of paper in half hamburger way. After that, he writes on top the front cover of the folded paper and makes a drawing on the bottom before gluing in two small hearts. Next, he opens the card and glues in more hearts, big and small, on the left page, and then he writes some sort of love letter on the right page. Finally, after about twenty minutes of making the card, he is done.

The front cover of Marcus' love card consists of a title on top that states: "To Mike: My Love." The drawing on the bottom depicts Marcus and Mike strolling on some grass holding hands with drawn hearts around them, signifying that they are in love. A small heart is glued on the top right corner of the front cover and another one on the bottom left corner. Marcus then opens his card revealing the left and right page to the readers. The left page consists purely of glued-in hearts of smaller sizes encircling two big hearts with drawn faces of Marcus and Mike staring at each other in love. The right page consists of a love letter that Marcus wrote for Mike to read once he gives it to him. Marcus then closes the card, showing its front cover again. He then remains standing in front of his desk staring proudly at what he thinks is a masterpiece of his love card.

As he is about to grab the envelope, he suddenly hears a knock from his door, startling him. Then, he hears the doorknob turning and then the door opening. Lucas enters the room looking exhausted with his shirt covered in dirt. He just arrived home from the park.

"Dude," Lucas began talking to his twin brother, panting from exhaustion, "you should've come to the park with Gus and Lana! Some funny stuff happened! So we were pranking this one guy who was sitting on a bench watching the lake. Gus snuck behind him and inserted a fake spider in the back of his shirt, and the man suddenly began freaking out. After taking out the spider, he screamed like a girl! He thought it was a real spider, so he tried to step on it, but it obviously did nothing. Then, he heard us laughing, and he became really mad! So he started chasing us all around the park! I even tripped on a tree root and fell on some dirt which explains why my shirt is dirty. Soon, the man gave up and we ran away from the park. Man, what a DAY! You and Mike should've come!"

Marcus' eyes shrank as he heard Mike's name.

 _Wait. Mike didn't come with Lucas, Gus, and Lana?!_ Marcus exclaimed in his thoughts. Doesn't he usually come with them to the park to do some pranking? Is he sick or something? Marcus then does some more pondering before coming to a realization. _Wait. Could he…?_

"Whatcha doin', lil' bro?" Lucas asked as he noticed the love card on Marcus' desk, interrupting Marcus' thoughts.

Realizing that he did not hide his card, he responds to his brother's question with, "Uh… it's nothing really! Plus, I'm not your lil' bro. We're the same age, remember?"

"Yeah, but I'm older than you by five minutes, remember?" Lucas then snatches the card from Marcus' desk.

"Hey! Give it back!" Marcus attempts to take back his card, but Lucas holds him off by using his hand.

"Cool it, bro. I just want to read it. I'll give it back after."

Lucas then reads the title, "To Mike: My LOVE?!" He then stares at his twin, who is blushing really hard in embarrassment, in shock. "Bro! You're in love with MIKE?!"

"Ummm…" Marcus then thinks of a lie, "no way! I picked it up after some dude dropped it. I wanted to give it back, but I was so curious about what was written on the card that I kept it for myself. I know, weird, right?" He then laughs nervously, hoping his brother would buy the lie.

Unfortunately, he didn't. "Bro, I'm not stupid. I recognize your handwriting… and you suck at drawing."

Marcus grew offended. "First off, I don't suck at drawing! My drawings are great! Second," Marcus then sighed, knowing he can't fool his brother, "fine. It's true." He began rubbing his arm as he blushes in awkwardness. "I have a crush on Mike."

"Woah, woah, woah!" Lucas exclaimed. "Hold it right there! You have a crush on Mike?!"

Marcus nodded.

Lucas then makes a smirk as he realizes something. "Wait a minute. I bet you're planning to prank him! HA! That's gotta be it!"

Marcus stared at him, unimpressed.

"Wait, you're serious?!"

Marcus nodded again.

"Woah, woah, woah! Hold on a minute! Y-y-you can't be gay! You can't be in love with a guy! I thought you were into girls like the rest of us!"

"I thought so, too," Marcus explains, "and I still am, but ever since the girls locker room incident, I've gained a crush on Mike, and the most possible reason for that is because we hung out a bit more than with you and Gus. We've been best bros since kindergarten."

"I know that," said Lucas.

Marcus resumes, "And of course I'm still into the good-lookin' ladies, but at the same time I have this crush on Mike, making me attracted to both girls and boys, making me bisexual."

"Bisexual?"

Marcus nodded for the third time.

"Oh. So that's what it means. I thought it was just a word people use when they had trouble figuring out if they're gay or straight."

"That's not how bisexuality works, bro. Trust me, I spoke to a person that is also bi, and she clearly explained how it works."

"Ah. Gotcha!" Lucas winked at his brother as he pointed at him.

"There. I told you. You can laugh now, or call me a weirdo, or kick me out and disown me. I'm ready for it."

Marcus then remains standing, prepared to be mocked, kicked out, and disowned, but nothing happened. Lucas just stood there staring at his brother in confusion.

"Uhh… aren't you gonna laugh?"

"Um, no?" Lucas replied.

"Why not? I already told you I'm bi!"

"Why would I laugh at you for being bi? Or do the other stuff you've just mentioned?"

"Wait. I don't understand. I thought you would… treat me as less of your brother if you found out that I like Mike."

Lucas then slowly approaches his brother and places his hand on his shoulder. Marcus stares at his brother, waiting for him to speak.

"Lil' bro, why would I laugh at you, or call you a weirdo, or kick you out and disown you for something as simple as liking someone? I mean, yeah. I've made some jokes about gay people in the past, but I don't straight-up hate them or think they're weirdos for liking the same gender. I know for a fact that there are some gays and bis that are as cool as us. Like those teen chef dudes for example. I've heard both of them are dating. One is gay, and the other is bi. To put it simply for your small brain, I don't care if you like guys, or girls, or both, or neither. You are still my bro no matter what. I will still care for you, I will still hang out with you, and I will still treat you as my bro. Plus, I'm pretty sure the other guys wouldn't care if you have a crush on Mike. They'll still treat you as normal."

Marcus couldn't believe his ears. His brother still cares for him even though he admitted to him that he likes Mike.

"You really mean it?"

Then, the unexpected happened. Lucas hugs Marcus. Heartwarming moments like this are rare when it comes to the Watterson twins, but even though they are known to cause trouble especially for the girls, deep down they still care for each other. Marcus blushed, not expecting his brother to hug him, but he accepted it and hugged him back. After hugging for a few more seconds, they end their hug.

"If you are planning to give that card to Mike, then I say go for it, and if he rejects you, then I'll go beat him up for you," Lucas told his brother.

"Wait. WHAT?!"

Lucas began laughing. "I'm kidding! You can just look for another person to crush on. Simple as that."

Marcus sighed in relief.

"Here," Lucas hands his twin the love card, "and good luck." He winked at him before leaving his bedroom.

Marcus looks at his card, admiring the design. He then hugs it, blushing as he thinks of his love of his life.

 _I knew it. Mike does love me back, and if Lucas not mentioning your name when he told me about the prank didn't give it away, then I don't know what will._ Marcus then takes a look at his card for the final time. _I love you, too, Mike. I love you, too._


	9. Confession

The next morning at school, Lucas and Marcus are searching for Mike through the hallway so Marcus can sneakily insert a note in Mike's backpack.

"So, do you remember the plan, bro?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah. I distract Mike so you can sneak a note in his backpack," Lucas recalled.

Marcus proudly punches his twin brother in his shoulder. "That's my bro."

Suddenly, they notice Mike approaching Mr. Cooper's class from the opposite side from where Lucas and Marcus entered the school.

"Look! There's Mike!" Lucas nudges Marcus. "Now's your chance!"

Meanwhile, Mike has his own plans of confessing his feelings to Marcus.

_ Okay. As soon as Mr. Cooper dismisses me and my class for recess, go up to Marcus and ask if he wants to hang out alone with me. Then, I take him to a secret location somewhere in school where nobody will see us. There, I confess my feelings to Marcus, and hopefully, he'll accept me and we're officially a couple! _

As Mike was about to enter his classroom, he is suddenly stopped by Lucas.

"Hey, dude. What's up?"

"Sup, Lucas. Got somethin' to say?"

"Actually, I do, but we gotta go somewhere private." Lucas pulls Mike a few feet away from the doorway. "There. This should be private enough."

"Uh… we're still in the hallway. How is this private?" Mike questioned.

"Oh really? Well it looks private to me!" Lucas giggled nervously as Mike stared at him unimpressed.

As Lucas spoke with Mike, Marcus sneaks up behind Mike and slowly and carefully inserts his note in a small bag on the left side of Mike's backpack. He then gives a thumbs up to Lucas, letting him know that he inserted the note, and sneaks away.

Having thought of a way to end the conversation, Lucas suddenly exclaims to Mike, "Oh no! We're about to be late! Gotta get to class before we get an hour of detention!" He then runs into the classroom.

Mike scratches, confused about what just happened. "That was weird." He then shrugs it off and enters the classroom.

As Mike was about to sit down on his seat, he suddenly hears Lana call to him:

"Yo, Mike! What's that note in your little bag?"

"Note?" Mike takes off his backpack and looks at the little bag on the left side of his backpack and sees the note Marcus sneakily inserted. He pulls out the note and unfolds it, discovering that it has writing. He reads:

"Meet me in the park after school at an oak tree next to the lake. From... some dude who has a crush on you?"

 _Huh? A dude has a crush on me?_ Mike thinks about the note for a bit before coming to a realization. _Wait. Could that dude be… Marcus?_

All of a sudden, Mr. Cooper enters his classroom and greets his students, interrupting Mike's thoughts. Mike immediately took a seat and began paying attention to him.

 _Nevermind. I'll continue thinking of this after class_ , Mike thought to himself.

* * *

About seven hours later, Mike is strolling in the park searching for that one oak tree next to the lake. So far, he had not one found one yet.

Mike growled in frustration. "We could that darn oak tree be?! This better not be a prank by Mickey, or Gus, or Lucas, or Marcus, or anybody!"

As he continues walking, he suddenly sees a shadow of a tree on the ground. He then looks up and sees the oak tree. Next, he looks to the left and sees the lake. After that, he looks around his surroundings and finds no more oak trees. This is the only oak tree in this area of the park, and it is next to the lake. This is where he will meet his secret admirer.

"Ha ha! Sweet! I finally found it!" Mike cheered.

"So… you've finally come, Mike," said a familiar voice.

"Huh? Who said that?"

Suddenly, someone comes out from behind the oak tree. It is a boy the same age as Mike. He has spiky brown hair, and he is wearing a blue shirt and khaki shorts. It's Marcus.

"MARCUS?!" Mike exclaimed in shock.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Marcus blushed, too nervous to look at Mike.

 _My suspicions were right. It was Marcus who wrote the note and sneaked it in my backpack earlier today_ , Mike stated in his thoughts.

"So, why are you here, Marcus?" Mike asked even though he probably knows the answer already.

"I'm here to give you this." Marcus pulls out his envelope from his left pocket and shows it to Mike.

"An envelope?"

"Yeah. It contains something important. Here. Take it."

Mike slowly and cautiously takes the envelope. He rips a piece off and pulls out Marcus' love card. He looks at the front cover and sees the title with a drawing of Marcus and Mike strolling on grass and holding hands with hearts around them.

"To Mike: My Love. By Marcus," Mike read.

Mike opens the card and sees a bunch of small hearts surrounding two big hearts with drawings of Marcus and Mike's heads on them on the left page, and a letter written by Marcus on the right page. The letter reads:

Dear Mike,

Ever since the latest incident at the girls locker room, I had feelings for you, which I found strange at the time because I've always thought of myself as straight. At first I thought I was turning gay, but I still retained my attraction towards girls, which means I'm attracted to both guys and girls making me bisexual. At first I was too scared to admit my feelings for you because I was worried that you'll think of me as a weirdo and disown me as a friend or at least not feel the same way as I do, but now I've gained the courage to do so thanks to a certain someone in a wheelchair who is also bi. I have a theory as to why I have a crush on you: we've been best buds since preschool. We've sometimes hung out alone, we share the same interests, and we care for one another. It's due to our bond that I've gained a crush on you. Now before I end this letter, I'd like to say a few things about you: You're the coolest person I've ever met. You've always been there for me every time I'm in distress (sheesh I sound like one of those dumb damsels in distress saying that), and I've been there for you. And, I gotta say, you're also very hot. The way your beautiful hair waves through the air turns me on. I sometimes imagine you taking your shirt off for me, exposing your hot body. I know. It sounds wrong, but c'mon. We've snuck into the girls locker room numerous times to watch them change. What do you expect? That's it. I'm tired of writing this letter, so I'm gonna end this letter with these three words: I love you.

Sincerely,

Marcus

Mike almost shed a tear reading the letter. He now knows that Marcus likes him, and Marcus knows that Mike likes him. Mike looks up from the letter to see Marcus blushing really hard and looking very anxious.

"So… uh…" Marcus stuttered due to his anxiety, "...do you… want… to be… my b-b-boyfriend?"

Tears rolled down Mike's cheeks after hearing that. He immediately wipes them away with his arm, trying his hardest not to start bawling his eyes out. After remaining silent for a bit, he finally answers Marcus' question:

"Yes. I will be your boyfriend."

Marcus covered his mouth in shock at first. Then, he uncovers it and smiles. He wanted to cry, but he was strong enough not to. Both boys then held their hands together as they stared at one another in love. Suddenly, their faces came closer and closer until finally their lips met. Marcus and Mike began kissing and cuddling as they blushed. Both boys have accepted each other as boyfriends, and their relationship has officially begun. After kissing for a few seconds, they end their kiss.

"That was amazing," Marcus commented.

"Yeah," Mike agreed. "So now that we're a couple, what should we do?"

"Go to Gus' Games & Grub on a date?" Marcus suggested.

Mike smiled at that answer. Both boys then placed their arms around each other's shoulders and began walking through the park.

"So, what should our couple name be?" Mike asked.

"Mikcus," Marcus suggested.

"Nah. I was thinking of Marike," Mike suggested.

"Mikcus sounds better."

"Yeah because it sounds like 'my kiss'."

"Dude, why did you have to ruin my couple name?"

"Sorry, but it'll sound weird if we go for 'my kiss'."

"Fine. Marike it is."


	10. The Pride Parade

It has been a month since Marcus and Mike started dating. It is now June, the first month of summer. It is also LGBTQ+ Pride Month, the month when people whose sexuality isn't heterosexual celebrate their sexuality by hosting parades and honoring activists who fought hard to earn equal rights for LGBTQ+ people for the entire month of June. This includes bisexuals since the "B" in "LGBTQ+" stands for "bisexual".

It is now June 12, the day of the Bisexual Pride Parade. All bisexual residents of Royal Woods and their partners took to the streets and began marching through downtown, cheering with pride and waving the beautiful pink, purple, blue flag that is the bisexual pride flag.

Among the people marching are Marcus and Mike who are cheering and waving their bisexual flags like crazy along with the rest of the people in the parade while holding hands. Behind them are Isabelle and Beau. Even though Beau isn't bisexual, his girlfriend Isabelle is, hence why he is carrying a straight pride flag with an upside-down v on it that has the colors of the bisexual pride flag, signifying that Beau is a heterosexual who supports bisexuals and is currently dating one. Right next both Marike and Isabeau are Robert and Riley. Similarly to Beau, Robert isn't bisexual also, but his boyfriend Riley is, hence why he is carrying a gay pride flag with the bisexual-colored upside down v on it, symbolizing that Robert is a homosexual who supports bisexuals and is currently dating one. All three couples cheer and wave their flags alongside the paraders.

Just then, out of nowhere Marcus kisses Mike in the cheek, causing him to blush. The other two couples saw the kiss and decided to do the same. Isabelle kisses Beau, and Riley kisses Robert. Soon, the other couples also kiss their partners on their cheeks.

The entire purpose of the Bisexual Pride Parade is to send not only the entire town of Royal Woods or the entire country of the United States of America but also the entire world a positive message. The parade of bisexuals is a sign that almost all bisexuals, including Marcus, Mike, Isabelle, and Riley, are not afraid to express their love and sexual orientation and will do anything to fight against homophobia and biphobia. Bisexuals are not ashamed of or confused about their sexual orientation nor are they in a phase. They are a group of people who know who they are and who they are attracted to. They are attracted to two genders, usually males and females, hence why there is the prefix "bi" in the word "bisexual".

* * *

**THE END**


End file.
